4 Countries That Abolishes Death Penalty, Papua New Guinea Included

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Amnesty International, an international human rights NGO, actively campaigns for the abolition of the death penalty around the world. Amnesty considers that the death penalty deprives people of the opportunity to live and be free from torture. 

Amnesty International's efforts to abolish the death penalty have received support from various parties. Therefore, the campaign to abolish the death penalty now often colors the dynamics of international politics. Some countries have also abolished the death penalty completely, while others partially. Citing deathpenaltyinfo.org, here are some of the countries that have abolished the death penalty:

1. Portugal

Portugal was the first country in the world to commit to abolishing the death penalty in its law. As a pioneer in capital punishment abolition, Portugal took this step in 1976 by abolishing the death penalty for all types of crimes.

2. Brazil 

Brazil abolished the death penalty in 1979 along with five other countries. These countries are Luxembourg, Nicaragua, Norway, Fiji, and Peru. Unlike other countries at that time, Brazil only abolished the death penalty for minor or ordinary crimes. According to sagepub.com, Brazil still applies the death penalty for major crimes, such as genocide, terrorism, and crimes against humanity.

3. Australia

Australia began its commitment to abolish the death penalty a little later than Portugal and Brazil, which was in 1985. However, unlike Brazil, Australia is committed to abolishing the death penalty for all types of crimes, both grave and ordinary.

In fact, as reported by lawcouncil.asn.au, the Australian parliament is now not only focusing on abolishing the death penalty in the country but also actively encouraging efforts to abolish capital punishment around the world.

4. Papua New Guinea

Capital punishment in Papua New Guinea was first scrapped in 1974 just before the country’s independence, but was brought back in 1991 for murder. By 2013, the death penalty in Papua New Guinea extended to murder and sorcery-related murder, aggravated rape, and robbery.

However, citing deathpenaltyinfo.org, on January 20, 2022, the PNG parliament voted to repeal the nation’s 30-year-old death penalty statute and replace capital punishment with a life sentence without parole.

BANGKIT ADHI WIGUNA

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